The Hotel de Inmigrantes: the first five days in Argentina

For many Italians, their first night in Argentina was spent at the Hotel de Inmigrantes, a four-storey building beside the port of Buenos Aires. Construction began in 1905 and was completed in 1911; within a year it was running at full capacity, about 3,000 people.

Lodging was free and meant to last about five days, although people who were ill or could not find work could stay longer. There were four meal sittings, from breakfast at six in the morning to dinner at six in the evening. The hotel offered medical care, a job office that matched newcomers with work across the country, help with documents, interpreters, classes and even a branch of the Banco de la Nación to change money.

Over its 42 years of operation more than a million people passed through. The hotel closed in 1953, was declared a National Historic Monument in 1990 and now houses the National Museum of Immigration, with free entry, where arrival records can be consulted.

If your grandparents arrived through the port of Buenos Aires, it is very likely they spent their first nights there.

Sources: Hotel de Inmigrantes — Wikipedia